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5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy

This blog post on 5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy was sponsored by Coca-Cola but the opinions are completely my own based on my experience. #StartSmart2016

Until last year, I had taken an unexpectedly long 10 year hiatus from the gym. One year later, I’m still using my gym membership and making new goals with these simple ways to be be more healthy. I want to start smart, stay active, and keep fit in 2016!

5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy


I’m probably a bit unusual because I don’t have the gym. I actually like working out and how strong and focused I feel during and after working out. My weaknesses when achieving my health and fitness goals are mostly contributed to my dietary habits and lack of tracking. Even though I know it doesn’t work like this, I just want to go to the gym, work out hard, and then eat whatever I want.

After an initial consultation with one of the trainers from my gym, he stressed how important diet is for your overall health and achieving your fitness goals. In fact, he went as far as to say that diet can account for up to 80% of your success. Wow…80% is huge and an area that can easily be overlooked.

Since this initial meeting, I’ve been talking with others and researching online for simple ways to be more healthy and make my overall health and fitness plan work the most effectively and efficiently.

5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy

1. Drink more water. Water is especially necessary when working out as even slight levels of dehydration can effect your overall ability. Water also will help flush out toxins and keep you felling full and boost your metabolism.

Tip: If you don’t like the taste of plain water or find it hard to get enough water each day, try drinking substituting carbonated water or infusing flat water with lemons, limes, strawberries, or cucumbers for subtle flavor.

5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy: Step 2. Don't skip meals.


2. Don’t skip meals. I’m the first person to admit I’m guilty of doing this. It’s so easy to get busy and caught up with your to do list and forget to eat. But it’s so important to supply your body with the nutrients and energy it needs to work out, avoid wild blood sugar swings leading to dizziness or weakness, and prevent overeating later in the day.

Tip: If you find it hard to meal plan or allocate enough time to make a meal, make a nutritious high protein smoothie as a meal replacement. Odwalla Smoothies are cheaper than eating out and a quick and flavorful way to keep you going. My local Randall’s has a huge selection of flavors and you can often catch them on sale for just $2 a bottle – less than a fast food meal.

Simple Ways to Be More Healthy. Step 3: Make healthy subsitutions.


3. Make smart substitutions. All products are not created equally. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make more healthful choices. Read labels and choose products that give you the best bang for your buck.

Tip: Swap out your usual full fat milk for Fairlife milk which has 50% more protein and 50% less sugar. Definitely a win-win when you’re tracking your nutrition goals.

5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy. Step 4: Use a fitness tracker.

4. Use a fitness tracker. All of those little steps add up. Make sure you’re keeping track and staying motivated by seeing your progress with a fitness tracker. And just get moving – start small and build up over time. You will see results.

Tip: There are a ton of fitness trackers available but an affordable option for beginners which will track your athletic activities and that you can even wear swimming is the Misfit. I just recently started using the Misfit and love how easy it is to wear and all the things I can track!

5. Get enough sleep. Adults require 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may end up feeling sluggish and unmotivated throughout day, lacking energy to complete basic tasks let alone working out.

Tip: Not all sleep is the same. Going back to tip four, most fitness trackers will also track your sleep. Analyze how many times you’re waking up each night and take steps to sleep more soundly to make the best of your waking hours.

If you’re ready to start using these simple ways to be more healthy, stock up on all the products you need like Odwalla Smoothies, Fairlife Milk, and Simply Orange at your local Safeway or Albertson’s. Make sure to save that receipt because now through 3/24/16 you can snap a pic of your receipt and enter to win 1 of 1,000 Misfit Shine Fitness + Sleep Monitors! To upload your receipt and to read all the details, check out this site.

There you have it, 5 Simple Ways to Be More Healthy in 2016 that don’t cost a lot and will be the difference between achieving your health and fitness goals.